What would you want to see?

[Gary D.]

As was brought up on another thread a while ago, it can take a lot to impress the average to advanced herper due to the huge scope of herps now available to the hobby. Sure we may only be only 1% or less of the total visitors, but what kinds of animals would the average herper appreciate seeing in the smaller private zoos?

And of course within reason. Tuatara and Gavials aren't really possibilities for the Bronx zoo.

Gary D.

[Katt]

Personally, a really kick butt display cage makes any species look awesome. Well researched habitat with habitat specific plants can make even a lowly corn look like a Rein Snake.

For me, hard to acquire and hard to raise species like 100 flowers would impress me. As you are well aware, boids and their morphs do nothing to impress me. Any Joe Blow can buy one with enough money.

[Linds]

I agree with Katt. It isn't fancy smancy morphs that would impress me, but rather some of the less seen and kept *natural* specimens. Of course having some of the everyday stuff as well, but all of it should be properly set up. That is one thing that would definitely impress me. A properly researched habitat would be most impressive, as it is so rarely encountered.

[varanus69]

fiji island iguanas, new zealand green geckos,red mountain racers (coxi) this kind of stuff would get my attention and keep me coming back....but also very detailed and natural enclosures...

[CamHanna]

Buttermilk Racers!!! I think it'd be great to put an especially active snake (like a racer) in a larger terrarium and watch it prowl. IMO buttermilks are the prettiest ones and they aren't seen often. They're the second snake on my 'wish list'. The first is the western fox snake (or eastern if they were legal here). I don't know if foxes would have crowd apeal though.

Psuedelaphe flavirufa are really cool snakes and I have a great time watching mine. They are nocternal though and spend alot of the day hiding. They don't really come out until after peak zoo hours are over.

Boiga sp. are also great snakes and dendrophila would be a big hit because of the colours. Same with ETB, GTP and those red asian rat snakes, I don't remember the species at the moment but one ssp. is coxi.

Also a big snake that can be handled by the occasional average visiter. Perhaps a BIG bull.

I like everything North American, especially the more obscure stuff (Rhinochielus, Farancia, Seminatrix, Regina, Nerodia clarki, T. sirtalis tetratania...). Farancia a huge personal favorite but is giving me some trouble.

I like Paleosuchus and cuban crocs.

Tuataras are nice as well.

Edit: I definitely agree on the Figi Island iguanas. I also like Gopher/Crawfish frogs and Ornate Chorus frogs. A big snapper and some diamond back terripans would be neat.

[marisa]

One thing I don't often notice at zoos is simple Green Iguanas.

If you could have the space, a large realistic enclosure with a harmen (say a big male and a few females) of green iguanas would really catch my attention.

Marisa

[Gary D.]

Come on, there should more opinions out there than that.

Personally I would like a wide variety of less than common animals which attempts to demonstrate the diversity of the world's herpetofauna. More interesting than WOW! But perhaps that's just me.

More input please people.

GD

[Tim_Cranwill]

For me, a variety of healthy, good-looking animals set up in attractive displays (not so dense that you'll never see the snake though). I would also like to see a map of the continent they are native to with their range highlighted, possibly pics of color/pattern variations and a little write-up about the species... maybe 3 or 4 sentences.

As for particular species, just a good variety in size, color and body type would suit me fine. They don't have to be the rarest species in the world but not exclusively the most common either (the problem with the local Zoo here). There's nothing wrong with displaying a common corn. They are attractive and even come across as being exotic looking to the general public.... and remember, that IS 95% of your audience/market.

[Scales Zoo]

But Tim, Gary was asking what you'd want to see as an experienced herper.

I set up our collection more for the 99% of people who find reptiles interesting, not for the 1% (or less) who keep 40 snakes at home.

Now, what I would like to see at a big fancy reptile zoo when I visited one.

Something really rare that is being bred. Appendix 1 boas, Indian pythons (i know), and/or some species of tortoises.

I'd like to see wart snakes and kraits. Crocodile monitors, perentie monitors, lace monitors, komodo's, blue tree monitors.

A lot of the real rare things, are rare because they are hard to keep (like the wart snakes).

Cool turtles, like a mata mata, a snake neck and a softshell - or something like that. a 250 lb alligator snapping turtle.

I like Tim's map idea, and have been planning to use it for a while. Still getting around to that one, hehe. I also think a display with a GTP beside an ETB, explaining convergent evolution from different continents, would be cool - but again, I'm thinking of the general public, not the 1%.

Sheila would like to see boeleni (and so would I, but not at our collection )

It is a hard question to answer, a lot of the stuff we really like, we keep.

[Jeff Hathaway]

Well this is a great thread for me to read! It would be hard for me to say what would impress me. I've seen a lot. I think I'd agree with others in that what impresses me is how well something is set up, regardless of how rare, etc. it is. And what really impresses me is good interpretation- not just a little map and 3 lines of text.

Of course, I'm planning to incorporate these things into our own facility. And when we eventually open, there will be iguanas for Marisa, and eastern fox snakes, bulls, and probably a racer for Cam! Not to mention, all of the turtles of Ontario, most of the other snakes of Ontario, and a few other exotics including prehensile-tailed skinks, indigo snakes and dart frogs.

Suggestions are always welcome, too...

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!

[Tim_Cranwill]

Yeah, I know Ryan. I am just not hard to please, I guess.

I would like to see basically anything. To tell you the truth, I would be more interested in seeing a nice, healthy normal corn than a wart snake though. It's looks for me, not rare-ness that makes something cool. Just nice looking snakes in nice looking enclosures. I <b>loved</b> seeing your snakes on display at the past 3 RD shows even though I've seen some of them (particular animals or species) in person several times and seen DOZENS of pics. That plain old retic was cooler to look at for me than the blackhead (personally speaking). The blackhead is a BEAUTIFUL animal and one I would cut off my left leg to own but the retic has the wow factor that draws people in. I was amazed to see it. So it doesn't have to be rare for me to enjoy it.

Also, I would say that snakes with different characteristics would make for a nice zoo. Snakes that are arboreal, terrestrial, burrowing and etc each in their little niche. Bright snakes, dull snakes, big snakes, small snakes, skinny snakes and fat snakes, snakes from all 6 continents (the 6 that have snakes) a few pythons, a few boas, a few hots and 50 different colubrids would float my boat just fine.

[Gary D.]

Geez 50 different colubrids. Myself not being a big fan of colubrids is my achilles heel. I have to do some serious work on that aspect of my collection. So much easier to get unusual lizard species.

Gary D.

[marisa]

The thing with colubrids is that IMHO they make far better display animal than a python or a boa in most cases, as they are very active and come in so many shapes and sizes.

Marisa

[Scales Zoo]

Some people have different thoughts about what zoos are. There are big zoos breeding panda bears, and petting zoos.

What all zoos should have in common, is a primary goal of educating the public in a beneficial way. The animals are possibly secondary.

Elvira, has converted many snake haters and people who are afraid of snakes. Who'd have suggested an albino burm, not I...

A large zoo with a big diversity of reptiles, with some really cool eveolutionary traits (snake neck turtle, mata mata, frilled dragon, large monitors, tiny geckos, many different kinds of chameleons, leaf tailed geckos, other reptiles that camoflauge amazingly well, some that don't camoflauge at, convergent evolution shown and explained, arboreal, terrestrial, fossoril's compared etc.. etc...) The important thing is the way it is portrayed to the public however, and not necessarily the animals themselves.

Interactiveness and Written Information are some of the best ways for people to learn, and for you to teach them - which is the whole goal, In my opinion.

And big assed pythons!!! Very cool, public loves to see them.

Looks like I went off track again, sorry.

Ryan

[Jeff_Favelle]

A GIANT desert display tank with Collared Lizards running around like little T-Rex's. That would absolutely ROCK.